Random facts 1C
California *According to the California Air Resources Board, about 25,000 dedicated alternative fuel vehicles are in use in California. Source: Wikinews, April 3 2008 Climate adaption *95 per cent of all deaths from disasters over the past 25 years have been in low- and middle-income nations — and very few businesses or households in these nations have insurance to help them recover. Source: International Institute for Environment and Development, November 2007 Climate change adaption UK *Nearly 70% of people think the UK is not prepared to deal with the potential impacts of climate change, Source: Environment Agency, March 31 2008 Climate change *At its lowest point during the 2007 summer melting season, sea ice coverage in the Arctic stood at 1.59 million square miles, compared with the previous low of 2.05 million square miles in 2005. The long-term average between 1979 and 2000 is 2.60 million square miles. Source: National Snow and Ice Data Centre, USA, Greenpeace, September 21 topic, Polar ice packs *Of the 33 cities projected to have at least 8 million residents by 2015, at least 21 are coastal cities that will have to contend with sea-level rise from climate change. Source: Worldwatch Institute *Collectively the G8 nations, which represent just 13 per cent of the world's population, are responsible for around 43 per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. That's climate injustice, because climate change impacts most severely upon the world's poorest people. Source: Friends of the Earth Friends of the Earth, June 7 2007 Friends of the Earth, September 24 2007 topic Climate change Costa Rica *In 2007 Costa Rica planted more than five million trees or 1.25 per person making it the highest per capita planting in the world. Source: United Nations Environment Programme, December 12 2007 Climate change UK * Three quarters of the UK population would support the introduction of a new law to combat climate change. Friends of the Earth / See also Carbon Dioxide emissions by UK region Clothing and textiles UK *The clothing and textiles sector in the UK alone produces around 3.1 million tonnes of , 2 million tonnes of waste and 70 million tonnes of waste water per year - with 1.5 million tonnes of unwanted clothing ultimately ending up in landfill. Source: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, February 20 2009 Coal UK *Kingsnorth coal-fired power station in Kent emits 20,000 tonnes of every day - the same amount as the 30 least polluting countries in the world combined. Source: Greenpeace, September 10 2008 Commuting UK *Government analysis shows that a quarter of carbon emissions comes from commuting journeys, especially long distance. Source: Campaign for Better Transport, July 1 2008 Credit unions *Worldwide, there are more than 157 million credit union members in 92 countries. Source: Worldwatch Institute / Ethical finance Coasts *Research shows that 634 million people - one tenth of the global population - live in coastal areas that lie within just ten metres above sea level. International Institute for Environment and Development, March 28 2007 / Climate change global news Community involvement UK *Just 38 per cent of respondents to the Citizenship Survey (April 2007 - March 2008) felt able to influence decisions in their local area whilst only 39 per cent of people were involved in some kind of civic participation such as attending a public meeting, signing a local petition or contacting a local councillor. The findings tally closely with data from this year's local elections which showed average voter turnout at around 40 per cent or less. Source: Communities and Local Government June 26 :* six in ten people do not feel they are given an adequate say on how local council services are run; :* more than 9 in 10 people believe accountability of councils could be improved; :* nearly four in 10 people do not feel councillors are representative of their communities and six in 10 do not believe they adequately reflect their views. Source: Communities and Local Government, March 5 2008 *37 per cent of people feel they can influence decisions affecting their local area. 20 per cent feel they could influence decisions affecting Great Britain. Source: 2007 Citizenship Survey, Communities and Local Government. Both measures have fallen since 2001 where they were at 44 per cent and 25 per cent respectively. Community safety UK *82 per cent of the population selected community safety as among the most important jobs for councils. Source: Communities and Local Government, June 30 2008 Cycling in London *Transport for London has installed 10,000 cycling parking spaces across the capital in the past two years, August 9 2007. Source: GLA, August 9 *The number of cyclists on London’s major roads has increased by 72 per cent since 2000. Source: Mayor of London, 4-9-2006, Research for Transport for London / London Cycling UK *In 2006-07, spending on cycling in England amounted to a tiny 0.3% of the overall transport budget and in Wales the figure was just 0.4%. Source: Campaign for Better Transport, April 28 2008 Deforestation *Deforestation makes up around 20 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions. Source: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, December 2007 Drought in England and Wales * In the South East, there is less water per person than in Syria or the Sudan. Source: Defra, 26 April 2007 * In the Thames river catchment in southern England total rainfall over the last two November-April periods has been the lowest since the 1890s. Source: Defra, The environment in your pocket 2006 Category:Random facts